Solid granite fu dogs flank the entrance of the new Tai Restaurant & Lounge in downtown Albany, an expansive drinking-and-dining destination that offers pan-Asian fare, sushi and an upscale environment for socializing. (Luanne M. Ferris / Times Union) less

Solid granite fu dogs flank the entrance of the new Tai Restaurant & Lounge in downtown Albany, an expansive drinking-and-dining destination that offers pan-Asian fare, sushi and an upscale environment for ... more

Photo: LUANNE M. FERRIS

Image 7 of 15

Detail of some of the stainless steel appliances in the kitchen (Luanne M. Ferris / Times Union)

Detail of some of the stainless steel appliances in the kitchen (Luanne M. Ferris / Times Union)

Photo: LUANNE M. FERRIS

Image 8 of 15

A view of the kitchen (Luanne M. Ferris / Times Union)

A view of the kitchen (Luanne M. Ferris / Times Union)

Photo: LUANNE M. FERRIS

Image 9 of 15

Detail of a fountain behind the sushi bar in the dining room (Luanne M. Ferris / Times Union)

Detail of a fountain behind the sushi bar in the dining room (Luanne M. Ferris / Times Union)

Photo: LUANNE M. FERRIS

Image 10 of 15

Sneak peak inside the new Tai Restaurant & Lounge of the decor in one of the lounges (Luanne M. Ferris / Times Union)

Sneak peak inside the new Tai Restaurant & Lounge of the decor in one of the lounges (Luanne M. Ferris / Times Union)

Photo: LUANNE M. FERRIS

Image 11 of 15

A lounge area is dominated by a glow-in-the-dark dragon head. (Luanne M. Ferris / Times Union)

A lounge area is dominated by a glow-in-the-dark dragon head. (Luanne M. Ferris / Times Union)

Behind co-owner Andy Zheng, going toward the North Pearl Street front doors of the new Tai Restaurant & Lounge in Albany, are the sushi bar, main dining area and front bar. (Luanne M. Ferris / Times Union)

Behind co-owner Andy Zheng, going toward the North Pearl Street front doors of the new Tai Restaurant & Lounge in Albany, are the sushi bar, main dining area and front bar. (Luanne M. Ferris / Times Union)

Photo: LUANNE M. FERRIS

Image 14 of 15

Co-owner Andy Zheng (Luanne M. Ferris / Times Union)

Co-owner Andy Zheng (Luanne M. Ferris / Times Union)

Photo: LUANNE M. FERRIS

Image 15 of 15

Pan-Asian spot aims to attract hip adults

1 / 15

Back to Gallery

The new Tai Restaurant & Lounge is an emphatic vote of confidence in the dining and cocktail scene of downtown Albany. Although situated smack in the middle of the North Pearl Street entertainment strip populated by establishments catering to under-25 drinkers on Thursday through Saturday nights, Tai is aiming for a different category of customer: young professionals and their hip older colleagues, who want a sleek, stylish environment for midpriced pan-Asian fare, sushi from the owner of the former Saso's in Albany, a cool cocktail crowd to mingle with -- and free valet parking.

The business will have to attract a lot of those folks, both because there's much space to fill -- seats for 250, eventual bar and lounge capacity totaling more than three times that -- and because the owners will need their patronage for a long time before seeing a return on their $2 million investment.

Once last-minute paperwork snafus are cleared up, the restaurant hopes to be open for drinks only this weekend and next, with food service to begin around July 8.

"We really wanted to do something different, and I think we did. There's nothing like this in Albany," says Andy Zheng, 28, co-owner of Tai with John Gonzalez, a 53-year-old contractor and property owner whose resume includes building restaurants and nightclubs in New York City.

Located in a large building that most recently housed an OTB, Tai Restaurant & Lounge ultimately will cover about 10,000 square feet on three levels: the main floor, running a full block back from North Pearl to James Street; a VIP lounge suspended between the soaring ceilings of the front and back of the main floor; and a basement lounge due to open later this year. Upper floors will house six loft apartments, all approximately 1,500 square feet, with high-end features and rents in the $2,000-a-month range. The first residents are expected early next year, depending on progress.

Restaurant construction has been going on since last summer, and it shows in the finished look of what had been a raw, cavernous space. Depending on how you count, Tai will boast about eight individual seating areas, including the glowing Blue Bar at the front, custom-made leather booths along the sides, the 27-foot sushi bar helmed by Yasuo Saso, and the Dragon Bar, which faces a fenced-in lounge area dominated by a glow-in-the-dark, 10-by-12-foot painted dragon's face.

Additional dimensions and stats suggest the scope and expense of the place: the seven hand-carved Buddha heads hanging on the walls are 4 feet high and weigh 200 pounds apiece; the granite fu dogs standing sentinel on the sidewalk are nearly a ton each of solid granite; the 9-foot-high mahogany front doors are 2 1/2 inches thick, complete with little portholes set behind iron cages; the illumination is provided by more than 300 light fixtures; and the employee roster totals 75, culled from more than 1,000 resumes.

"My family thinks this is too big, too much money," says Zheng, whose parents have owned quick-serve Chinese restaurants locally for 25 years; they run South Wok and West Wok, both in Glenmont, and China Dragon in Schenectady.

The owners believe Tai will attract some of the same professionals who congregate at the bars of downtown's top restaurants, as well as, later in the evening, people seeking a sophisticated lounge scene.

"I told (Zheng) I wouldn't do a club -- there's already enough of that chaos on North Pearl Street -- but I would do a quality restaurant and high-end lounge," says Gonzalez. "We don't want drunk kids. We want to bring people back to Albany who think they have to go to Saratoga for a place for grown-ups to have drinks."

Zheng and Gonzalez are aware that the failure rate for upscale lounges in downtown Albany in recent years has been high. Blue 82 recently celebrated it fifth anniversary, but Noche, Ballingers and Tryst all turned out to be costly flops, and other watering holes along North Pearl that aspired to entertain adults have found the allegiance and cash of youngsters too alluring not to cater to.